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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30110991">Don't Make A Sound</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dracoria_Nebulae/pseuds/Dracoria_Nebulae'>Dracoria_Nebulae</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Among Us (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alien Impostor(s) (Among Us), Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Body Horror, Cannibalism, Cannibalistic Thoughts, Character Death, Crewmate Turned Impostor (Among Us), Descent into Madness, First Time Posting. Ever., Gen, Gore, Horror, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Not An Engineer Or Anything, I'm Sorry, Infection, It'll Be Innacurate, Mental Anguish, Mental Instability, Mindfuck, Mostly...?, Murder, My First Fanfic, My First Work in This Fandom, Not Totally True To The Game, Outer Space, POV First Person, Parasites, Suffering, there is no happy ending</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:27:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,540</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30110991</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dracoria_Nebulae/pseuds/Dracoria_Nebulae</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Federation registered exploratory-multipurpose vessel 'Star Born', home to a skeleton crew of 50, has encountered sudden unexplained failure. While an old ship on the verge of decommissioning, something about this breakdown seems odd. The fix isn't quick nor easy and something strange is going on behind the scenes...</p><p> </p><p>I swear I just saw something move.</p><p>But I'm alone down here.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Star Born</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I've never posted anything before, so be gentle with me? I don't mind advice, but don't be an ass about it please. I also don't know how much of this I'll actually write, motivation can be hard to find and letting other people see it is nerve-wracking as it is. T-T</p><p>Someone should really force feed me a thesaurus because god I repeat words too often.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cold grey metal walls… The flickering emergency lights of low power did nothing to brighten the long hallways of our temporary space home…</p><p> </p><p>And did nothing to make my job any easier!</p><p> </p><p>“Floating hunk of junk.” I walk down the hall, slowly, as to avoid tripping on any of the wires or pipes on my way up to the main hall of the ship. </p><p>Something went wrong, again. Drifting in space, the ship isn’t moving. It’s nothing new really, this ship is old, a model just about to be decommissioned. And I’ve worked on this one in particular for a solid ten galactic years now. Just one of many different engineers that keep this stupid thing moving.</p><p>Ah who am I kidding, I love this old ass ship. I knew the whole thing inside and out by now and teach all the newbies how to handle an old gal like this one.</p><p>“Why’d you stop this time eh? Leavin’ us drifting like this girl. Maybe we hit an asteroid again cause the idiots in navigation forgot we don’t have a fancy heads up like newer ships.” My voice is muffled by my thick suit, an old but reliable design, echoing in the helmet and masking the dull thuds of my footfalls. Yes, I’m talking to the ship like it’s a person. I know it’s dumb, but you work on a machine this long and you get kind of attached to it!</p><p>The first thing we do whenever the ship stops like this and <em> doesn’t </em> immediately get fixed, is meet up in the main bridge of the ship and figure out what we know. Though I’d been deep in the ship when the lights went down and don’t have any actual information this time. Pipe maintenance had been going just fine like normal.</p><p>I freeze as I swear to god I see something run across the path in front of me, too quick and too dark to see. Did… Did I fog up my visor talking to myself? There aren’t vermin in the ship, I would know, we’ve been out for months now and every check came up clean!</p><p>I slap the side of my helmet, hitting my comms and call out- “Hello? Is someone messing around down here?”</p><p>…</p><p>There’s no reply.</p><p>“It’s… Just dark. Calm down. Geez. If there’s a rat or something, we’ll catch it <em> after </em> the ship is functional again.” I talk lowly to myself, letting the comms switch off as I continue my slow trek out of the ship.</p><p>I run into one of the younger engineers on my way up, their baby blue suit giving them away as a mid level engineer. They wave and open comms.</p><p>“Hey! Black-!”</p><p>“Come on. You know my name by now.” I cut them off quickly, running a gloved hand over my visor in exasperation.</p><p>“But you’re like, the only black suit on board!” They chirp back brightly. They aren’t wrong, as the senior technician I was one of two people with black suits, and the other is less than friendly with the younger crewmates.</p><p>“Fine. I’d call you blue, but we both know how that’d go Thomas. Got any info on what happened?” I fall into step beside him, watching the ground as we go, though the pipes and wires have largely been hidden as we got into the habited parts of the ship.</p><p>“Well! I heard something hit the hull earlier when I was working in engines. Honestly, I think it’s an asteroid <em> again </em>.” He laughs lightly, having been with this group long enough to hit at least one asteroid before…</p><p>“Seriously? Twice in one trip? I’m going to have words with the navigators… I Really don’t want to do another space walk.” The conversation is easy and quiet as we walk, slowly picking up various others on their way up as well. Baby blue, green, red, yellow, hell we even pick up a purple suit. I’ve got no clue what a purple is doing this deep in the ship, but it’s not the biggest deal to me.</p><p>Entering the main bridge there’s a gathering of people, our whole 50 man crew. White suits of the navigators, dark blue of the captain, the weird pink for our second in command… The other black suit isn’t here… They must be sleeping again. Or skipping out cause they know it’s going to be me sent out to fix this mess.</p><p>I sigh silently and wade through the suits, greeting the captain respectfully as I take my place beside the second in command. Other than those two, I’ve been on the ship the longest.</p><p>“Reports?” The captain opens comms and cooly looks out over the gathered crewmates.</p><p>“Something hit the ship again!” Thomas calls out all too happily. “I heard something hit the hull in engines!”</p><p>“Navigation is down. The hit must have knocked our sensors out.” Annabelle, the lead navigator responds with a displeased tone. “I apologize for this oversight, no one noticed the projectile coming.”</p><p>… No one saw it? I frown and glance at her, though I can’t see her face in the dull lights. At least last time they saw it coming.</p><p>“Fuel’s leaking. It definitely hit the engines.” A yellow suit, Rob if I recall correctly, speaks up. He’s generally in charge of maintaining the engines, with the younger engineers under his command.</p><p>“So we’re dead in the water? Uh… Dead in space?” Pink suited Vallor questions, correcting himself awkwardly. Even if he’d been out here longer than me, he still used old idioms without meaning to. Honestly I find it amusing, though that one was less odd to me. I give him a firm pat on the shoulder and he straightens up a little more. Good, be confident you crazy weirdo.</p><p>“For now. Low power means we’re on a time crunch, oxygen isn’t going to hold out forever without it.” A purple suit speaks up, Jess. She’s a technician that works with fine machinery, making her suit the newest and most maneuverable of all of us. Precision work and all that.</p><p>“The power should be working fine! I <em> just </em> finished maintaining it! Blacky was there too!” A red suit now, an odd color choice, but they work directly under me. That one in particular is Don, and he’s right.</p><p>“Don’s right sir, we finished maintenance only a few hours ago on the electrical system. If the sensors didn’t pick the projectile up, is it possible it’s producing some form of electromagnetic interference? A lot of the wiring is focused around the engines and if it’s lodged there, it would explain some things.” I speak up now, ignoring the fact that no one bothers to remember my name… Well they do, but they like calling me Black because it’s the only thing that bothers me.</p><p>“Maybe that would explain some things…” Annabelle hums thoughtfully, but a flick of the comms and I hear her in my helmet alone. “Thanks. I know you were mad about last time the younger crewmate let us get hit… We really didn’t see it on any sensors.”</p><p>“You’re welcome Anna. It wouldn’t be fair to assume it was all your fault.” I reply on the channel before swapping back to listen to everyone else bicker. Green suits that work with me and Jess are theorizing, the red suits are complaining about having to rewire the ship again when this is fixed, the captain is silent while Vallor bounces between groups of conversation.</p><p>“Looks like with the sensors out and the engines dead, we need someone out there pronto. Black, get ready for a space walk. We need a clear understanding of the damage. Take Jess with you. Everyone else, await orders following evaluation of the damage. Report to your team leaders anything you notice as well.” The captain, well his name is Daniel, but he really prefers just being called Captain promptly barks out the orders.</p><p>“Captain please-!” I start to complain about the damned nickname, but he just chuckles and knocks the side of my helmet. </p><p>“Come on, we got a ship to get running again and you know this old gal best.” He pats my back and then pushes me towards Jess.</p><p>“No one’s letting that go eh? Sorry you’re the only responsible black suit.” Jess speaks up softly, empathetic towards my plight.</p><p>“It’s fine-” I stumble over my own tongue, flustering awkwardly as I panic. “It’s not fine I mean! I just! I know <em> why </em> they do it… It’s just their way of poking my buttons.” I groan softly. If anyone hears me say it’s fine it will never end! Thank god I’m on a channel with just Jess.</p><p>“Heh, you’re too nice. I’d ream my team if they tried that.” Jess chuckles, the two of us slowly making our way towards the airlocks.</p><p>“They don’t mean any harm. I can’t really be mad… Now, you ready for a space walk Jess?” I turn to her, watching her nervously wring her hands together. Poor girl, she was almost always safely inside the ship. Space walks were scary every time.</p><p>“I… Yeah. Best to get it done quick.” She starts hooking us up to the tethers and oxygen line. The suits have back up oxygen supply, but it’s only for use in emergencies generally. Better to rely on the tether. I help her out, steadying her hands. God even with her fancy suit I’m steadier than her.</p><p>“Hey. It’s ok Jess. I’ve done this so many times now. Nothin’ will happen.” I comfort her and finish the prep, cycling the airlock before stepping inside with her.</p><p>I’ll never get used to the feeling of cycling out of the airlock, the gravity disappearing and the absolute silence of no air… I can see Jess flailing around in the lack of gravity. She really never gets out much huh? I pull the tether and drag us both together, patting her shoulder lightly before the door opens and I can push us out into space.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Contact</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's time to figure out what caused the failure and get the ship running again.</p><p>What was that sound?</p><p>No don't come any closer!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please pay attention to the tags here! Things are kicking off now. Gore is mild, but body horror, death, and infection are important to watch out for here. Please don't read if these bother you!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I know we all get trained in zero g, but it’s still so disorienting.” Jess complains softly, staring intensely at the ship while I guide the two of us around the hull.</p><p>“It’s not so bad. I just prefer the safety of the ship walls.” I reply gently to her, spotting the engines and maneuvering towards them.</p><p>There! There’s a rock of some kind… Metal maybe? Definitely some kind of asteroid. It’s lodged into the engine. Jesus, how did we not all feel that kind of impact? The hull looks like it was shredded open!</p><p>“Crap. There are missing components we must have drifted away from…” I peer into the hole at the ruined wiring and components. I can see the fuel leak, and gods we’re lucky we aren’t leaking air too.</p><p>“Holy… That’s really bad. Get that thing out of there first and seal the leak.” Jess reaches in, only for me to grab her hand.</p><p>“Hey, careful. The wires are still live and your suit isn’t good for that kind of shock.” I reach in and pull it out instead, a thick rounded hunk of space metal and rock. If my suit weren’t so thick I definitely would have gotten shocked for touching that. It’s weird though, definitely iridescent and wet with what’s probably a nearly frozen gas. Might be good mining to find the asteroid it came from actually…</p><p>I pass it to Jess and set to work sealing the leaks and testing the wires carefully…. The engine is toast though. We’ll definitely need to reroute power and get to a nearby station. Once the leak is handled though I give her a nod and steer us back to the airlock, letting her put the chunk in the material locker so it can be investigated later and cycle the lock.</p><p>The captain is on the other side, waiting for us.</p><p>“What’s the status?” He asks once we’re inside, and if I didn’t know him better I’d assume he was upset. No he’s just worried.</p><p>“Engine A-4 is down. No hope of repairing it out here, but we can reroute power and fuel to get to a station. Might mark this area on nav though, the thing that hit us looks like it came from a gas and metal rich asteroid. There may be more.” I reply to him, tone firm and professional. It’s my area of expertise and all. I refuse to send anyone out to work on it pointlessly. We need a better place to even start repairs.</p><p>“Great. Start delegating tasks then, we can’t stay here long. Electronics are still out so we’ve got our work cut out for us.” He nods to me and turns to make his way back in the ship proper.</p><p>… Well, I can’t blame him for being stressed.</p><p>“Jess, take the sample to labs? I’ll get everyone moving. I’ll need your team’s help for sure.” She nods and grabs the dispensed container before heading down the hall. I head back to the main bridge, informing those that remained what happened and their jobs… My own task? Go into the bowels of the ship and manually start rerouting the power.</p><p>The lime science and orange doctor teams should be able to manage finding out why that rock did all this.</p><p>Low lights make my trip down more difficult, but I can see enough to navigate, alone in the lower levels of the ship.</p><p>I reach the main electrical hub, shadows shifting uncomfortable. “Hello…?” There’s no response to my call, and I don’t know why but I don’t feel… Alone. I few taps on my helmet and the light comes on, illuminating the area in front of me. Nothing. </p><p>“I’m losing it aren’t I? It’s a rat if anything. Don’t freak out over nothing.” I walk up to the huge panel, opening it and looking over the switches and wires inside. Engine… Engine…. Ah! A4. I unplug the wires, flipping the switch and killing all power to the damaged engine. Looking over the blown fuses for other areas I start swapping wires and replacing the few that apparently broke. Unusual, but an easy enough fix.</p><p>“A4 is offline. Maintenance is free to proceed.” I message the main comms channel, receiving a few affirmatives in response as I finish up my wiring. The light comes back on finally and I shut off my light, sighing softly in relief. Now I won’t trip over anything.</p><p>Something heavy falls over in the back of the room, I can feel it through my boots, jerking back and peering around the panel to find the source of the noise. …. Nothing here is loose and heavy enough for that?</p><p>“Hello? Is someone th- Ahg! Fuck!” My question is cut off as a sharp lance of pain hits me right in the gut. My suit’s display flickers with a damage warning and I shakily look down at my stomach. There’s… A cut. In my suit. The pain isn’t going away, it feels like something is digging into my flesh.</p><p>I can’t stop the gasp of pain as I grasp over the cut. Something is moving! It hurts. I can’t form words as I drop to my knees, clawing at the hole in my suit frantically. It’s so hard to see, craning my head to try and peer in to see squirming darkness- what is that!? How the hell did it cut my suit?</p><p>“Nnnhg!” I cry out, doubling over as something tears at my stomach. It burns and it feels like my insides are being clawed open! I don’t know what possesses me to look… But I pull my hand away from the hole, red and black smeared on my glove. “S-someone… Help. Please” It hurts so much and I can’t hit the comms, doubled over like I am. Am I going to die? Down here? “Ack!” I hack involuntarily, sending rippling pain through my stomach as something digs through my organs, tickling my lungs and making me cough. You’re not supposed to feel that kind of thing! Something is inside of me!</p><p>I shakily move, desperate adrenaline fueling my movements as I try to hit my comms, I need to call for help, they connect… My body seizes in another wave of agony, white hot pain lancing through my chest and up my spine. I cry out soundlessly, my throat tight and refusing to move. I can’t… I can’t speak. Please, please notice!</p><p>“Someone there?” It’s Jess, I shifted to her comm. I let out the smallest wheeze, my lungs and throat seizing up and not responding. I can feel myself getting dizzy at the lack of oxygen. “Hello? Who is this? What’s wrong?”</p><p>No words come, I can’t even move to hit my helmet, tap, anything to make a sound. I’m choking, my vision blurring and going spotty. </p><p>Then my lungs pull in a ragged gasp of air, my back straightening out uncomfortably quick, vertebrae clicking as they grind together.</p><p>“I hear you! Are you ok?” Jess, her voice is still in my helmet, apparently hearing my pitiful attempts at breathing.</p><p>“H-h-help.” I choke out, barely, coughing harshly as my body spasms. Blood splatters the inside of my helmet with the coughs.</p><p>“Black! I’m coming!” The comms cut out. No! Jess! I need to explain. Don’t run down here like that! I jerk hard, throwing my head back into the wall and sending my vision swimming. But I didn’t mean to do that, not at all. An involuntary reaction, like some invisible string was pulled in my back.</p><p>“Ga-hk!” I choke on my own pained cry, tasting blood on my tongue. My body isn’t responding to me. But it hurts so much. My arm jerks up, ramming a hand into my chest and sending me into a fit of painful wheezing.</p><p>“Black!” I can hear Jess on the local comms, calling out to me. She made quick time getting down here. My arms don’t respond as I push to hit my comms. What’s going on here!? Her footsteps are getting close, I can feel them now. </p><p>My body jerks again, tumbling forward and slamming my helmet into the ground. My legs kick out, scraping against the metal floor pointlessly while my spine seizes again with more painful clicks and grinding.</p><p>“Black! Oh god, Black what’s going on? What’s wrong?” Jess calls out, kneeling next to me, her voice shaky with panic. She hits my comms for me, now able to hear the rasping gurgles coming from my throat. “Are you choking? Hold on,” She pushes me, rolling my body over and gasps as she catches sight of the bloody hole in my suit. “What happened!? Black please!”</p><p>I let out a pained squeak, the only noise I can make only for it to cut off in horror as my arms fling out and grab Jess’s helmet. My bones creak under the force and I hear her comms crackle with interference.</p><p>“Bl-k! -op!” A hard, violent seizing of my muscles, and my hands <em> twist </em> . There’s a sickening cracking sound, a wet pop as Jess suddenly stops moving. Her head is facing the wrong way.</p><p>Oh god...</p><p>No. <em> <strong>No.</strong></em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Wires</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>There's been a death aboard the ship, but deep in the bowels of the ship will it ever be found?</p>
<p>What have I done?</p>
<p>It wasn't me. It's not me.</p>
<p>Don't make a sound.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW for death, blood, mental anguish, more suffering. Honestly it's not likely to get any better, just be warned!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I wheeze slightly, staring uncomprehendingly at the purple suit before me. I’m still holding her. My hands won’t respond to my wishes to drop her. Let go! Let go please! I feel sick…</p>
<p>Her body is finally released after… Far too long. It thuds to the floor and my body slowly, jerkily, gets up off the ground. All my movements feel wrong, a coil wound too tight, a child trying to pose a doll. They hurt. My joints pop and click, muscles burning at the too quick movements.</p>
<p>I look at the body… Jess is dead. I still don’t understand what just happened. How it happened. I stumble into the back of the room, the stiff painful movements making me want to cry out but my voice refuses to work. The vent. The heavy grate that is usually securely attached to it is on the ground, bent. That was the source of the noise.</p>
<p>I reach out to the vent, and proceed to slam my head into the too small opening. I pry at the metal, muscles screaming in agony at the force exerted. But it’s simply too strong for me and my body backs off from the vent, standing before it.</p>
<p>I feel my throat clench and shift, it hurts like someone is choking me, crushing my windpipe. A strained gurgle slips out of my mouth, followed by a groan. I don’t know what’s going on. I just don’t understand! Why am I still awake…? Alive? It feels like there’s something in my body, under my skin. My heart rate is so fast it hurts.</p>
<p>“Hhhhh…” My voice, strained and wheezing. It sounds like a horror movie and I did <em> not </em> choose to make that noise… It’s like my lungs were just crushed and all the air forced out in that awful noise. My throat and jaw hurt. All of me hurts at this point honestly.</p>
<p>Something tickles the back of my throat, but my body doesn’t retch. Something curling up and out, brushing the walls of my throat and then over my tongue. It’s hard to breathe! Black squirming tendrils snake out of my mouth, stretching out and cautiously tapping the confines of my helmet, dancing over my face like spiders testing for purchase. </p>
<p>I involuntarily tear up in a mix of fear and horror, the tendrils freezing for a few seconds before twitching and returning to my poor abused throat. There’s definitely something in me- It…. Went back in? It hurts, but eases as whatever is in me settles.</p>
<p>“Wha-” Wait, I can talk? It burns, but I can force out sounds! My body won’t listen to me anymore and every time I try it shoots agony through my whole being… It’s like my limbs are bound in wires, too tight to escape and every time they move it digs in deeper… What’s going on under my suit?</p>
<p>There’s no answer to my questions, but the sensation of those binding wires shifting and digging into my very bones.</p>
<p>Don’t move. Please don’t move. I feel like I’m going to pass out.</p>
<p>My limbs ignore my mental pleas, my whole body jerking and turning around to face the rest of the room before stumbling forward over Jess’s body… Tears escape me unbidden, my chest seizing as I let out a weak pained sob. It’s muffled in my helmet, but it’s all I can do as my limbs pull me forward and out of the door to electrical.</p>
<p>I know the layout of the ship like the back of my hand, but considering I slammed my head into the vent, I doubt this thing does. I hope that’s enough.</p>
<p>My arm jerks up and my hand smacks into my visor hard enough to jostle my brain and send bolts of sharp pain through me. What the hell is it doing?</p>
<p>It awkwardly hits the helmet a bit less forcefully, repeatedly doing this in different spots as my vision blurs uncomfortably, the pain making it hard to focus. But… hearing my comms come on makes me gasp harshly in horror. No! I do not want anyone else to hear me! Please no!</p>
<p>… Nothing. There’s no voices and no one replying to my sounds. It must still be on the local channel.I’ve never felt more relief until this very moment, the air leaving my lungs in a relieved sigh even though it chokes off in a whimper as my arm slaps my helmet again, wires pulling taut.</p>
<p>“Ssstop!” I hiss the word out hopelessly, tasting blood in my mouth as my chest seizes without warning.</p>
<p>But my arm drops, head tilting slightly with loud clicking of my vertebrae as it moves a tad too far. I swear I feel something stretching in my throat again, movement making me want to gag again. No bile makes it up my throat, leaving me merely feeling nauseous and tired. </p>
<p>I just… I don’t understand what’s going on. Why is this happening? It’s like those old horror movies from earth. I remember Vallor showed me some. I sink into my own mind, the world around me blurring as I think. I never much liked horror, but now I’m feeling like I’m in one. Only instead of some creature bursting out of my chest something crawled into my guts… An alien parasite? It would make sense… Slightly. But how did it hide in the ship until now? Why did it attack me? Wouldn’t it have attacked someone sooner?</p>
<p>In my musing my pain riddled body stiffly wanders through the lower halls of the ship, going from room to room aimlessly, at least so it seemed as I focused back in on the here and now.</p>
<p>Looks like I’m in one of the storage rooms? Huge metal crates fill the space and make moving any further into the room nearly impossible. My body doesn’t seem to get that message and tries to shove itself between two of the crates hard enough that something in my chest pops out of place.</p>
<p>“Aaah!” The air rushes out of my lungs in a wheezing yelp, stabbing pain lancing through my torso as I try to breathe in and that something shifts with a grinding sensation. My body at least pauses in trying to crush itself, relieving some of the pressure on my lungs.</p>
<p>“Hello? Someone down here?” A male voice calls over the local comms, having picked up on my sounds now that they were close enough.</p>
<p>“Nn-aahg!” I try to reply, but it just causes more grinding and stabbing pain, my whole body jerking like a puppet that had suddenly been pulled the wrong way. “Noo… g-gooo…” I force the words out anyways, wheezing while trying to get enough air to even make the sounds.</p>
<p>“Where are you? Do you need help? I can call for medical.” They aren’t leaving, instead I hear them walking through the halls, likely searching for me. “Please! You sound injured.” Who is that?</p>
<p>My body stumbles away from the crates, dropping unceremoniously to the floor face first with an audible cracking of something moving again in my chest. The sensation takes a second for my mind to register, but as it does I release an agonized wail that cracks and chokes off with lack of air. I feel sick, white hot pain blurring my vision and leaving my ears ringing. I can’t tell if something broke or popped back into place, but it hurts so damn bad.</p>
<p>“Hold on! I’m coming!” They call back sharply, their movements falling into a heavy run as they bolt towards the room I collapsed in.</p>
<p>As my vision clears I see a red suit kneeling next to me, hands hovering over my body nervously.</p>
<p>“-ack! Black! Please answer me!” Oh, they’re calling for me… It’s… Kent. I remember him. One of the newer members of my team.</p>
<p>I cough, though the sound is unsettlingly wet and I’m definitely tasting iron again. My arm jerks, metal dragging against metal- Metal? My suit doesn’t sound like that. It’s hard to think past the burning but something about that stands out to my mind.</p>
<p>“Black, what’s wrong? What happened? Is it safe to move you?” His voice is frantic and scratchy, gloved hands lightly brushing over the back of my suit.</p>
<p>“Nnnnooo-” I wheeze out a vaguely word like sound, focusing on my breathing while blankly staring at the red of his suit.</p>
<p>“I’ll call medical. Don’t move. Please.” He reaches up to change comm channels, but my body moves before he can. My bones pop and click as my body pushes up to my knees, my arm pulling back, dull metal in my painfully tight grip. “Black!?” His voice quivers with confused fear, hands held out in front of him now in a loose attempt to defend himself.</p>
<p>But the force of my sharp swing cracks his visor and dents his helmet in with a shocking crunch of the metal bar contacting his head- His surprised noise is cut off with a muted gasp, his form wobbling for a split second before collapsing onto the hard ground.</p>
<p>...</p>
<p>
  <span>Again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I can feel the vibrations of the metal still running up my arms while I gape blankly at the corpse in front of me… Why? Why!? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I didn’t want to!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t me!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Please.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Salty tears bubble over, spilling down my cheeks while my stomach churns uncomfortably. Though yet again… Nothing comes up. Just pain and nausea. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>My arms jerk, dropping the metal rod loudly on the floor. But I stay put facing the body, watching red slowly leak from the damaged helmet. I don’t want to see it. I don’t want to face it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I close my eyes, trying my hardest to ignore the dead body. I ignore the iron and salt on my tongue, tears and blood mixing in my mouth. Ignore it! Please! I can’t face this.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Just a bad dream</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>How could this all have happened?<br/>Is it even real? <br/>I'm so tired... <br/>I want to wake up from this nightmare. </p>
<p>Please.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>No character death in this one, just more suffering. Still, none of this is really going to get any better, so be warned.<br/>Apologies for the wait on the updates. It's been a rough while for inspiration and motivation.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>My arm contacts my helmet harshly, palm slapping against the visor and sending another wave of nauseous agony through my head. It’s enough to make me snap my eyes open, blearily looking at my own hand in pained confusion. Why there? Can my body stop hitting my head? I’m going to end up seriously concussed at this rate.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As if my body heard my thoughts, my hand drops off my visor and slowly stands once more. I can’t… I can’t make a sound. Not again. Not while my comms are on. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>All my willpower is forced into keeping my sounds of pain in while my body goes back to the metal crates… But it doesn’t try to shove itself between the crates again, instead just standing there for far too long. If everything didn’t already burn and ache horribly I’m sure my muscles would be screaming from being locked into a single position for so long. The only movements of my body are my weak shaky breaths.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Primary engines online!” I hear the main comms come alive suddenly, causing me to nearly jump out of my proverbial skin… If I could. Instead the aborted movement just makes me groan as the burn in my limbs worsens.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oxygen production is in progress. Has anyone seen Jess?” Katie… A green suit. She works closely with Jess and myself. Crap. … I can’t even hit the comms to open the right channel. I can only hear it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Negative. It’s been a bit. I thought she was working on that?” Oh. That’s Rob. Of course he got the engines running already.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She ran off a bit ago. I got a problem but I’m sure we’ll manage.” Katie sighs unhappily at the thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright. Status update everyone?” Rob leaves the conversation there and addresses the whole ship.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lights are back on and most of the power’s been restored. Anyone seen Black? They were the one working on that.” Don, the red suit under my command responds.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope. They’re probably chasing problems down there though, you know how they are.” Yuna, another red suit in my team speaks up now, fondness in her voice that makes my chest squeeze with guilt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Navigation is still down.” Anna this time. “We’re not sure what’s up so if anyone finds Jess, send her my way after oxygen is back up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There’s a round of affirmatives followed by a few other updates. I can’t help the small choked whimper that slips out of me, sparking pain up my throat. Guilt and sorrow are thick in my chest, making my already shallow breaths come out as weak gasps and tears to trickle down my face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“S-ssorry.” I hiss the word out, to no reply. The lower halls are empty for now. My vision is blurry while my body stumbles and finally moves again. This time instead of going between the crates it drags itself up over them, the movements jarring and burning in such a deep way I’d think someone injected acid in my veins if I didn’t know better.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I want to rest…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I want this to be a bad dream.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I want to wake up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite the still burning pain and occasional twitching movement of my limbs, my exhaustion catches up with me and my body </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally</span>
  </em>
  <span> gives up and collapses into the waiting blackness of unconsciousness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s restless, pain stirring me into a half awake state every so often. Every time my eyes flutter open I just see the top of the metal crates and the low lighting of the storage room before falling back into another uncomfortable sleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I have no idea how long has passed now between collapsing and now as I wake again. The pain has eased significantly, the twitches dying down into moderate jerks that only ache like I ran a marathon totally unprepared the previous day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I’m… Both surprised and not that I fell asleep in my suit. The strain on my body was just too much, but god it hurts to sleep in this thing. Not that it’s the first time, but usually it’s my own fault! Working too long on something and knocking out upright with my head ducked into whatever machine I was working on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Actually… It’s lucky I never got seriously hurt doing that before. Oops.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I chuckle roughly, my chest spasming in pain and causing me to fall into a coughing fit. But this time? There’s no blood. Yeah my lungs hurt, but I can’t taste iron with the coughs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It almost feels like the early days of training, lugging heavy machinery around and working myself into the ground. Getting bossed around by the senior engineers all day. Despite how much I struggled back then, it’s a good memory.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I manage a small smile, slowly pulling my arms under me and trying to push off the crate.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It works, somewhat. Shockingly I move my arms under my body, aching terribly but moving!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Was it… Actually a nightmare? A dream? Did I sleepwalk to this room? Fell asleep in the wires like an idiot?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I move to sit up, glancing around at the tops of the crates in hopeful confusion. It’s dark up here for the most part, dusty too. Most of these crates have cargo we get paid to transport. Some of them are extra tools or rations.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The thought of food sends a gnawing pain through my stomach, causing me to gasp and hug my middle weakly. Has it been that long since I last ate? What did I eat last? It’s concerning in more ways than one.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Slowly I scoot along the crates, grunting with each movement pulling my sore muscles, and then peer over the edge into the rest of the room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kent’s dead body is still there on the metal flooring. It’s surrounded by a dark brown puddle and a discarded metal rod… </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I can’t breathe, my empty stomach roils and my chest feels like it’s been crushed in a vice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not a dream. Not a dream not a dream notadream </span>
  <b>it wasn’t a dream</b>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A strangled wheeze slips out of me, limbs shaking as I stare down at the truth, the ugly reminder that I had… Killed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I can’t move. Can’t breathe. Can’t think. Everything in me has stalled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Except the wires-</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I shriek as my body seizes, wires pulled taut around my very bones. There’s less pain this time but it’s still awful. My muscles burn horribly, fighting the movements that inevitably pull me over the edge of the crate and onto the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The impact is jarring and painful, my breath rushing out of my lungs while my mind blanks out. Something in my helmet crunches, but the sound is lost to the ringing of agony in my face and chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>By the time my vision and thoughts return my body is already scrambling upright, unsteady like the ‘wires’ are as dizzy and hurt as I am. But the way it moved before… This looks much more natural. Like I’m just sick instead of a puppet being jerked around by a child.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The thought is… Nauseating. Maybe I’m imagining things? I hope I am. I really do. After all… It’s not like I can see my own movements! Yeah. I’m probably just imagining it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>My body turns to regard the body on the floor, but I quickly close my eyes to avoid looking at it any longer. It’s… I’m lucky I can’t smell it through my helmet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something hits my helmet roughly, my eyes snapping open in time to see my own arm again… Why?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With my eyes open again my body turns and stumbles out of the storage room and I’m struck with the relief that no one seems to have heard all my noises. I can’t let myself forget again… Can’t draw another person to me.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yet my body wanders in what seems like an aimless fashion for ages. Going in circles, entering rooms only to immediately leave, favoring dark areas… It was odd. I could almost forget I’m not the one wandering around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I find myself standing in the electrical room once more, but this time Jess’ body is… Gone. Someone must have found her. Which is relieving, yet terrifying in the same breath. When did they find her? What happened? Do they know it was me?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I don’t know the answers…. Which is stressful. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I stand there silently for a long while, staring at the panel full of wires and fuses. I’m not sure what the interest in them is. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then my body lurches forward, arms snapping out and burying themselves in the mess of wires. Holy crap!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ssstop!” I hiss the word out, but this time it doesn’t make the movements cease. My arm yanks downward and violently rips through many wires. Its effects are immediate, power in the ship cuts out with a horrible zapping sound. The fuses are tripped and wires obliterated, and now pitch black down here. Someone will definitely come to fix this, and soon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Like the thing in me can sense my rising anxiety, it turns and stumbles out of the room with my body, heading down the halls despite the fact that I can’t see at all. Does it know the way now?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully emergency lights flick on and light the corridor dimly, my body flinching with a jolt of pain. It’s like a migraine for my whole body, exhausting and painful. I might have ‘slept’ recently, but I’m still beat. I wonder if it feels the same?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>My body stumbles into another storage room, but thankfully this is different than the one holding Kent’s body. Everything blurs, my vision and my mind. It hurts, but it is so much less intense than the previous bouts of pain had been.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So tired. So hungry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The emergency lights don’t light this room at all and my body wanders into the back, suddenly going limp and dropping to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Of course my helmet connects with the ground harshly, rattling my brain and causing my vision to black out….</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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